Real Journalism... From Entertainment Weekly?

One of the most disappointing things about much of the media in America is how little real journalism goes on. Reporters often act more like transcriptionists, dutifully writing down whatever they are told and never taking the time to investigate whether they are told the truth. They don't ask hard questions and they don't take politicians to task. Well, most don't.

Entertainment Weekly interviewed Tom Cruise:

Yeah, but Scientology textbooks sometimes refer to psychiatry as a ''Nazi science''...
Well, look at the history. Jung was an editor for the Nazi papers during World War II. [According to Aryeh Maidenbaum, the director of the New York Center for Jungian Studies, this is not true.] Look at the experimentation the Nazis did with electric shock and drugging. Look at the drug methadone. That was originally called Adolophine. It was named after Adolf Hitler... [According to the Dictionary of Drugs and Medications, among other sources, this is an urban legend.]

So, instead of letting the utter nonsense in Tom Cruise's answers stand unchallenged, EW actually did a little fact-checking and found out the truth. Even better, they posted the truth alongside Cruise's answers, thus demonstrating just how wrong and foolish he was. Most of the time he seems to get away with saying whatever comes to mind and getting it in print; this time, though, the audience was treated with respect and told the truth.

Now, why don't more reporters do the same? Shouldn't politicians get the same sort of critical, skeptical treatment?

Read More:

• What is Scientology?
• Scientology News
• Scientology: Critiques
• Scientology: Spoofs & Books
• Scientology vs. the Internet
• Scientology: Court Cases
• Scientology: L. Ron Hubbard